Protective pad for athletes



Oct. 29, 1929. I v D, LEvlNsoN 1,733,160-

PROTECTIVE PAD FOR ATHLETES Filed June 2, 1928 NAS Patented Oct. 29, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DAVID LEVINSON, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WILSON-WESTERN SPORTING GOODS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE PROTECTIVE PAD FOR ATHLETES Original application filed February 14, 1927, Serial No. 167,976. Divided and this application filed June The present invention relates to protective pads for athletes, being more particularly concerned with the provision ofpads for football players, and this application is a division of my prior application, Serial No. 167,976, filed F eb-ruary 14th, 1927, for protective apparatus for athletes.

One of the objects of the present invention is the provision of a novel football pad, which is adapted to form one of the elements of a unitary protective harness for foot-ball players, which is adapted to be worn by the player independently of football trousers, or other garments.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a novel knee pad construction, which is light and flexible, and which is provided with means for receiving other padding to suit the needs of the individual player.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, and the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of my protective pad.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 16-16 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 15-15of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a rear elevational view of my football pad. j

The football pad of my present invention is particularly adapted to be worn beneath football trousers, which it the wearer very closely, having no exterior padding, project ing parts or loose folds of fabric, which may be grasped by opponents during the play. Such football harness is particularly effective when worn with a suit of fabric which is smooth and slippery to the touch; thereby aiding the player in eluding the grasp of his opponents.

The other elements of the football harness, comprising a girdle and a novel thigh guard construction connected thereto and adapted to support present new pad, are the subject of separate applications, including the ap- Serial N0. 282,629.

plication above mentioned, and will, therefore, not be described indetail herein.

Referring to drawings, 17 indicates my knee pad inits entirety, which comprises a substantially oblong pieceof thick felt 87, having its upper edge 88 cut along a substantially straight line, and adapted to be secured to a thigh guard.

The upper edge 88 is provided with reinforcing tape 89, stitched thereto along both edges of the tape and Vprovided with a plurality of apertures 90, having eyelets 91.

The knee pad 17 is provided at its rear side with a pocket 93, formed by a single piece of closely woven and strong fabric 94 of substantially the same size as the felt piece 87, the edges of the fabric being turned under and stitched along the curved portions of the felt as at 95, with the exception of the top edge 96. The upper edge'of the fabric 94 is hemmed and provided with a plurality of buttonholes as at 96, the buttonholes being adapted to register with the eyelets 91 carried by the felt.

The provision of the fabric/94 not only forms a pocket 98, in which a playermay place additional pads to suit his individual needs, butthe fabric 94 also materially adds to the strength and durability of the knee pad without detracting in any way from its flexibility, which is a very important characteristic of a pad which is to be worn under a closely fitting football suit. The pocket 93 may be closed by lacing, which is used to attach the knee pad 17 to the lower portion of a thigh guard supporter.

The pad is also provided on its front side with a ieXible leather pad 92, comprising a piece of leather of substantially the same shape as the felt 87, but of smaller size and stitc hed upon the felt in inverted position. The pad being worn with a closely fitting football suit, the felt 87 is generally constrained to take the shape of the knee of the wearer, and under the severe usage to which the pads are subjected, the central portion of the felt 87 would soon bulge and tear were it not provided with the protective leather pad 92.

The leather piece 92 is preferably curved about its upper edge in order that the upper part of the pad may fold over along the outline of the leg' at the knee, and the lower edge may have a complementary curvature in order to prevent Wastage of the material in cutting the pads.

It will thus be observed that I have invented a novel protective pad for football players, which is light and flexible, so that it may be Worn beneath a substantially closely fitting football suit, but which is flexibly reinforced and adapted to receive other padding kto suit the individual needs of the player.

My football pad is adistinct departure from the pads of the prior art, which are relatively heavy, and which generally embody stiff reinforcing members for protecting the knees.

While I have illustrated and described a specific embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not Wish tobe limited to the precise details of the construction set forth but desire to avail myself of all changes Within the scope of the appended claim.

y Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A flexible knee pad comprising a piece of thick felt of substantially oblong shape With one end cut off substantially straight, a reinforcing tape carried by the sidevof said straight edge, a plurality of spaced tubular Y rivets providing holes through said tape and felt, and a layer of fabric stitched to the rear side of said felt around the curved part of its periphery and having a plurality of spaced apertures adjacent said rivets.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 28th day of May, 1928.

DAVID LEVINSON 

